Singapore gets a lot of things right, including this.
One thing I like about their public transport is the “distance fare” system, where buses and MRT are integrated into the same payment system, so if you have a journey that consists of bus->train->bus it’ll only cost you the same as if there were a single bus that did that same total route. The most it’s possible to pay for the longest trip from one end of the island to the other is about US$2.30, and most shorter journeys are barely a dollar.
I love Singapore public transit. I love how they tell you how long it will take to walk to another station, how they have the lines on the station floor that you can follow, how their trains are long and open with no doors between cars, how they have PSA signs reminding people how to be polite to others. I could go on.
We have the same system in Switzerland. All countries with civilised public transport do.
The results? About 11 cars per 100 people in Singapore (2024)—versus ~55 per 100 in the European Union (2023) and roughly 85 motor vehicles per 100 people in the United States (2022). (…)
Over the last decade, Singapore has added new MRT lines, over 1,000 new buses, and 200 additional trains. Today, 80% of households are within a 10-minute walk of a train station.
Today, 80% of households are within a 10-minute walk of a train station.
That might be a challenge in most of Europe, outside of the biggest cities.
This is true. And in sparsely populated areas, impossible.
That’s why you have the 80% figure and not 100%.
In the EU, 76% of the population live in urban regions. That’s 76% where it’s really easy to have people live within 10 minutes of public transport.
In cities like Vienna, that figure is already close to 100%.
And in sparsely populated areas, impossible.
Luckily, by definition, not a lot of people live in sparsely populated areas. And also luckily, the figure we are talking about is “percentage of the population”, not “percentage of the land area”.
In the EU, 76% of the population live in urban regions.
Fun fact: in the US, the percentage is even higher, at 80%.
Something to remember next time some troll tries to claim that EU-style public transit can’t work in the US because we’re too spread out.
Why are you ignoring the qualifiers already provided by me and the previous commenter?
Two qualifiers that just don’t make sense in the context.
?? You basically just repeated them.
Do you think I’m against more trains or something?
99% of populated Switzerland is within 10 minutes walking distance of public transport. 95% within 5 minutes.
We are saying trains, not public transportation in general. Still that number is either made up or extremely misleading. Would like to be corrected with a source of course
With trains the number is much lower, obviously. We don’t run trains to every mountain village - but to more than you might think. But for any form of public transport, the number is accurate. I welcome you to visit our country and see for yourself.
I did multiple times. Still you’re sharing an observation, a made up statistic.
Well then you’ve experienced it yourself. Perhaps the following will help illustrate the point: there are 2’115 communes (towns and cities) in Switzerland, but 1’772 train stations, and 23’080 bus stops. And since you’ve seen how small our cities are, you know there aren’t 20’000 in the capital and then nothing elsewehere.
Nothing here says 99% population with less than 10 min to public transportation. That’s what you, based on your observation, made up.
You’re happy with the public transportation there? Good ! That doesn’t change anything regarding the original comparison of train stations in Singapore or that you’re taking percentages out of your imagination.
[…]because owning a car in this city-state isn’t just about buying the vehicle. You also need to purchase a Certificate of Entitlement (COE)—essentially, a government-issued permit that gives you the right to own a car for ten years. And the current cost? Recent COE premiums for cars have exceeded S$120,000 (≈€82,000).¹ Add the car itself, and suddenly a basic sedan can set you back well over €100,000.
Damn, that’s almost € 7 000 per month - I don’t even earn that much before taxes.
In a city state like Singapore it’s the perfect way to finance public transport.
edit: oops, 700. Thanks gloog.
That says it’s for 10 years, so “only” 1/10th of that each month. Still very much a thing only businesses and very well off people can realistically afford though.
oops & thanks
More places need a system like this, cause fuck cars, but I don’t like how this gate-keeps for only the wealthy. It would be nice if there was an inclusive system for people who really need one and pubic transit isn’t a good option. Do they have cheap carshare rentals like Car2Go or similar? Maybe if it was a lottery that prioritized those with disabilties and accessibility needs that Transit, E-bikes Etc doesn’t suffice for.
Good.
